Survive
by shelzykid
Summary: While attempting to enjoy a nice day with his son, Führer Roy Mustang is shot by a mysterious man. How will Amestris handle the news, and most importantly, how will his son deal with the trauma? (I suck at summaries, sorry xD) Royai, EdWin, OC's Rated T for violence and also because I want to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Roy Mustang was content as he walked through the city with his eldest son, Maes. Many guards offered to accompany them for protection, but Roy just needed to take a nice walk through the city with his son.

"Dad, look!" Maes said, pointing eagerly at the candy shop nearby. "Can I get some candy? _Please_?"

Roy smiled lightly. "I suppose so. Just... _don't_ tell your mother, O.K.? She'll have my head if she finds out."

Maes laughed, even though his father wasn't joking, and he ran into the store without hesitation. Roy quickly followed Maes, finding that many people were staring at the young boy, and many recognised him as the Führer's son.

Maes smiled brightly at Roy and held up a bag of candies. "Dad, can I get these?" he asked loudly, causing many heads to turn toward Roy, and their eyes bugged out. There was quiet murmuring as the civilians chatted about what an honour it was to be in such close proximity to the ruler of Amestris. It's not that there wasn't this type of commotion on the streets, it's just that it was harder not to notice it in a small candy store.

Roy nodded at his son, approving of his choice of candy. Maes beamed and rushed to the cashier, who smiled warmly at him. As Roy approached the counter, the cashier directed her smile at him and said, "Oh, no worries! I'll let him take those for free!"

"That's not necessary, miss-"

"Oh, but I insist!" her smile grew wider. "Please, it's on us!"

Roy thought for a moment before nodding. "Thank you," he said, leading his son out of the store. As they were leaving, Roy felt someone's eyes on him, and it wasn't in a normal way. No, this person didn't seem friendly.

"She was nice!" Maes mentioned, and Roy nodded, pushing his thoughts aside. "Eat those quickly or hide them, we don't want Mom to see them."

Maes popped a candy into his mouth and looked up at his father curiously. "Do you think we should have got some for Mom, too?"

"No, I don't think your mother likes sweets too much."

"But... _all_ girls like sweets, don't they?"

Roy laughed lightly. "Who told you that?" he asked.

"Well, I brought some candy to a girl in my class last week, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek in return," Maes smiled, knowing his womanizer father would be proud of him.

Roy chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "That's my boy."

"Führer Mustang," a voice called. Roy was barely able to speak before an earsplitting " _BANG_ " resounded through the air, followed by another.

Maes watched in horror as everything moved in slow motion. A sharp intake of breath was heard from Roy as blood spurted from his back. He stumbled, and he would've fallen if a random civilian hadn't caught him after he fell to his knees.

Maes felt like crying, but no tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to speak but no words came out. He was in a state of shock and horror. He felt as if his feet were glued to the floor, and he saw nor heard nothing except for his limp father in the arms of a stranger.

"Führer Mustang!"

"Call an ambulance!"

"Someone help him!"

"What about little Maes?!"

Because of all the chaos, the shooter was able to escape without anyone noticing. Maes was still standing there, his mouth hanging open slightly, and his mind was blank. He heard voices, sirens, and screaming, but it was all distant. Eventually, he felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't look up. He heard the person talking to him, but Maes wasn't going to respond. He _couldn't_. Even as he was led to a car, Maes kept his eyes on his father, who was currently being lifted into an ambulance. Maes wanted to go to him. He wanted to know that his dad was still alive.

"Don't worry, bud. Everything is going to be okay," the man said. Maes wasn't stupid-he knew he was lying. This man couldn't predict fate. Maes made a small choking sound as he tried to take in everything that'd happened.

Finally, Maes looked up at the man, and he recognized the dark grey outfit as the Military Police uniform. The police officer forced a smile and helped Maes into a car, then he squatted down so he was eye level with the boy.

"What's your name, bud?" he asked. _You know my name_ , Maes wanted to say. The man just wanted him to speak.

"I… M-Maes... " he said shakily, and the officer smiled.

"Are you named after the late Brigadier General Maes Hughes?" Maes nodded.

"How old are you, Maes?"

"E...leven... " Maes replied slowly.

"Do you have any siblings?" the officer asked. What was the point of these questions? This man already knew about Maes and the rest of his family. But Maes nodded anyway.

"Th-three…" he said, beginning to calm down.

"What are their names?"

Maes thought for a moment, as if he couldn't remember, but he did. "I h-have a little sister… Kasey… and two little brothers… Tyler and Hayden… twins."

"Good, good. Now, did you see the man that shot your father?" the officer asked, and Maes tensed. This was a sudden change of subject.

Maes' eyes darted from the officer, to his father, to the pool of blood where his father was shot, to where the shooter had been standing, then back to the officer. "N-no… I... " Maes took a deep, shaky breath. "I didn't."

The officer nodded. "Alright," he said, standing up. "Just sit here and relax, okay? We'll keep your father safe."

Maes stared at his lap, and when the officer walked away, a few tears finally fell from Maes' eyes. They rolled down his cheeks, falling onto his hands after reaching his chin. The young boy stayed quiet, allowing himself to relax as he blocked out the commotion going on around him. He'd just have to trust that his father, the Führer of Amestris, Hero of Ishval, could survive a bullet.

 **(A/N): How did I do? This is my first published FMA fanfic, so go easy on me .**

 **To be completely honest, I didn't really have a full idea for this story when I first started writing it. At first, I just started writing Roy with his son, but then I decided to have it take a dark twist. This will be a multi-chaptered story, so look forward to that!**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

It was peaceful in Central City as Roy Mustang, Führer of Amestris, walked alongside his son, Maes Mustang, who was much more cheerful than normal.

"Dad, can we get some candy? _Please_?" Maes begged, and Roy hesitated. Was that _really_ such a good idea?

After a few moments of thinking, Roy nodded, and Maes beamed. He ran into the store, and his father followed shortly after. Once Maes had his candy, they both made their way to the cashier, who smiled warmly at them.

"Hello, Führer Mustang. You're looking well," she said.

"Well, I'm feeling great, that's for sure," Roy smiled.

"Glad to hear that!" she leaned toward Maes. "How about I just let you take those again for no charge?"

Maes looked up at his dad, who sighed and smiled. "I suppose."

Maes cheered. "Thanks, miss!" He waved goodbye and rushed out of the store. Roy laughed lightly and followed his son outside, where they both sat on a bench, and Maes smiled.

"We should do this more often," he said, popping a candy into his mouth.

Roy looked at his son curiously. "Do what?" he asked.

"Hang out like this. Just you and me," Maes smiled up at his father, who returned it.

"Of course."

It was silent between the two for a while, until Roy stood. "We should get going. I'm sure your mother is waiting for us."

"Okay...I'll race you home!" Maes said excitedly.

"I'm old, Maes. I can't race you," Roy groaned, beginning their walk home.

"Forty-four is _not_ old!" the boy argued.

"Is _that_ how old I am? Geez."

"You aren't old, Dad!"

"Yeah, just wait until _you're_ forty-four. Then you'll see what I mean," Roy joked, and Maes scoffed.

"When they finally made it home, Maes threw the door open, announcing their arrival. "We're home!" he yelled.

"Good for you," nine year old Kasey Mustang muttered, keeping her eyes on her book.

"Can't you just put that book down and say 'hello' for once in your life?!" Maes asked, annoyed. "I could understand if it was an alchemy book, but it's not, so-"

"Alchemy is stupid," the girl interjected.

" _W-what_?! Alchemy is _not_ stupid! Y-you... _you're_ stupid!" Maes growled.

"Alright, let's stop this fight before it gets physical," Roy said, grabbing Maes' arm and pulling him into the kitchen, away from his younger sister. Maes ran off to his his candy somewhere, while Roy made his way over to his wife, who was cleaning up the mess from dinner.

"Hello, beautiful," he smiled softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Hi. How was your walk with Maes?" she asked, leaning into him.

"It was good. We both enjoyed it a lot."

"That's good. Did you buy him candy?"

Roy laughed nervously. "Whaaat? Nooo. Totally not. Nope. No candy. None."

"Oh, well that's strange. I could have sworn I saw Maes come in with a bag of candy, but maybe I was just hallucinating."

"Dammit. That kid is terrible at hiding things," Roy muttered under his breath.

"Don't blame him. It was _you_ that bought it for him."

"Technically, I _didn't_ buy it, since he got it for free," Roy smirked.

"Oh, well that makes it all better, doesn't it?" she asked, her voice practically dripping sarcasm. Roy laughed nervously once again, trying to think of an escape. After a few moments, he clapped his hands together and smiled.

"How about we listen to the radio? We haven't done that in a while."

Riza nodded and went upstairs to get Maes, while Roy walked into the living room and over to his only daughter. He took the book from her hands and placed it on a shelf, earning a glare from the young girl.

"I was reading that!" she hissed.

"Well, you need to spend some time with your family," he said, stretching his hand out to her. "Come on."

Kasey sighed and took her father's hand, allowing him to pull her off the couch. "How long is this going to take? she asked, obviously annoyed.

"We're just going to listen to a radio show _as a family_ , then you can get back to whatever you were reading," he assured her.

Kasey grumbled. "Fine."

As Roy readied the radio, Maes suddenly busted into the room, followed by Riza, whose entrance wasn't as grand as her son's. "Wow, look! Kasey _finally_ put down her book! It's a miracle! How'd you do it, Dad?" Maes teased.

"I will break you into a million pieces," the girl snarled, and Maes scoffed.

"Oh, please! I'm an _alchemist_! Alchemists are far more superior than you lowly humans!"

"What are you talking about? Just because you're an alchemist _doesn't_ mean you're some superior species!" Kasey retorted.

"Alright, that's enough!" Riza snapped. "We're going to have a _nice_ family night with _no_ fighting. Got it?" Both children nodded, fearing what would happen if they disobeyed their mother. She was armed, after all.

Finally, after what seemed like forever in the Mustang household, Roy found a radio station they all enjoyed, even Kasey. It was a comedy show that could make _anyone_ laugh.

The four out of the six total Mustangs sat around the radio, laughing at jokes and enjoying each other's company. As it got later in the night, Kasey fell asleep on Roy's shoulder, seeming to forget about her book, and Riza was starting to doze off, too. Roy noticed this and turned off the radio, despite Maes' complaints.

"You need to go to bed. Come on," he said, standing up with Kasey in his arms. Maes whined incoherently and stood up, following his parents upstairs. Roy laid Kasey down in her bed, surprised when the young girl did not wake up. Roy and Riza then said goodnight to Maes, who had already crawled into bed, then they made their way to their own room.

"We should really do that more often. I love hanging out with you and the kids," Roy said, smiling.

Riza returned the smile. "We'll have to make it a routine, then."

"I would like that," Roy mumbled sleepily, crawling into bed after changing into his sleepwear. As his eyes slid closed, Roy replayed the day's events in his head, wishing that every day could be as good as that day.

~~oOoOoOo~~

 _Beep...beep...beep…_

Maes stared tiredly at his father, who was lying unconscious in his hospital bed, and he sighed. The door opened slowly, and Maes turned his head only slightly to see the doctor step in and smile sadly at him.

"You should probably go home, son. It's been days," he said gently to the eleven year old boy. "We don't know when your father will wake up...some people never wake up from comas.

 **(A/N): WHAT? THAT WHOLE THING WAS JUST A DREAM AND ROY IS REALLY IN A COMA? WHAAAAT?**

 **Did anyone like that chapter? Did anyone realize it was a dream before the end? Anyone? This whole idea for chapter 2 was actually my dad's idea, so thanks Dad! My mom is pretty mad at us because we wouldn't tell her what was going on...so...I love you, Mom! .**

 **Also, Tyler and Hayden weren't really in the little family night dream thingy because it was late when they were listening to the radio, so by the twins would have been in bed by the time Roy and Maes got home from their walk.**

 **Reviews are nice and are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

It had been six days since the Führer of Amestris was shot, and four days since it was announced that he was in a coma. Everyone had been devastated by the news, especially Maes. News of the shooting had spread quickly throughout the country, so it wasn't much of a surprise when Edward and Winry, along with their two children, arrived in Central City for a visit.

Winry and Riza sat in the family room, talking about everything that had occurred over the past six days, while the oldest Elric boy, Chase, sat on the floor, playing with Hayate. The two women had suggested that he play with Maes, who was only 2 years older than him, but he refused. Maes and Chase didn't have the best friendship, and it had all started with an alchemy competition between the two. Nina, the youngest Elric girl, played upstairs with Tyler and Hayden, the Mustang twins, while Maes just sat in his room, not willing to go downstairs to visit anyone.

There was a small knock at his door, and Maes sighed. "Come in," he said, just barely loud enough for the person to hear. The door opened slowly, revealing a blond-haired man standing in the doorway, a man Maes knew very well. "Ed," he smiled softly, happy to see the man that was like a second father to him.

"Hey, kiddo," Edward returned the smile. He and Maes had always had a special relationship. Whenever Maes needed to talk, he would go to Ed if his father was busy, and the former alchemist was always there for the boy. "I heard about what happened," Ed paused, and Maes stared at his lap, playing with the hem of his shorts. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm...fine…" the boy mumbled.

Ed watched sadly as the black-haired boy struggled to not break down right then and there. "Are you sure?"

Maes paused for a few moments. "The doctor told me that not everyone wakes up from a coma," he said, keeping his eyes on his lap as he tried desperately to not cry. He hadn't cried since the day his father was shot, and he had only shed a few tears then.

Ed took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, that is true. It would truly be a miracle if your father woke up from his coma."

"Yeah...but...what if he doesn't?" Maes asked, his voice almost a whisper. "What if we lose him forever?"

Edward was silent for a while. He didn't know how to respond to that. "Maes, it would be absolutely terrible if he didn't wake up. But, let's try to stay positive, okay? I believe he'll be okay."

Maes nodded, and both males sat in silence for a while, which was eventually broken by Edward. "I was...thinking about going to visit him. Would you like to join me?" Maes nodded briefly and stood up, following the man out of the small bedroom.

Together, along with a few bodyguards, they traveled to the hospital, and Edward thought about why Maes was able to navigate their way through the building so easily. _Just how many times has he been here?_ , he wondered. _Have all of his visits been for the same reason?_

"We're here," Maes announced when they finally arrived at Roy's hospital room. He turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, as if he was trying to avoid waking someone from their slumber. The boy stepped into the room carefully, and beckoned for Edward to do the same.

"Dad? I brought someone to see you. You remember Edward, right? The 'Fullmetal Pipsqueak'?"

Normally, Ed would have been angered that Roy had told Maes about all of his short comments toward Ed, but seeing Roy in the state he was in-hooked up to a bunch of machines and practically dead-Ed just couldn't bring himself to even think about getting mad.

"He doesn't respond, but I like to think he can actually hear me," Maes mumbled.

"...How many times have you been here?" Ed asked curiously.

"I was here for five days after he...after _that day_." the boy replied, sitting in the same chair he had sat in for those five days.

"What about your mother and your siblings?"

"They've been visiting every other day. I can tell that it's hard for Mom, though. She tries to stay strong during the day, but I can hear her crying in her room at night, when she thinks we're all sleep," the young boy frowned. "Kasey never cries, but I know that she's scared, and trying to explain everything to Ty and Hayden is probably one of the hardest things in the world," Maes explained, keeping his eyes on his father. "It's hard, you know. Trying to be the man of the family when you're only eleven."

"I know that feeling," Edward whispered. "I was left to take care of Alphonse when I was still just a child. He was the only family I had left."

Maes hoped that Ed would continue explaining his past, since he never really had before, but he halted his explanation, much to Maes' disappointment. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, before Ed spoke up.

"Maes, promise me something," he said, watching as the young boy fidgeted slightly in his seat. "Promise me that, no matter what happens, you will _not_ perform human transmutation."

Maes froze. Human transmutation _had_ crossed his mind, yes. He had found it in an alchemy book when he was seven, but he had only glanced over the contents of it briefly.

"Human transmutation is the ultimate taboo, isn't it?" he asked, recalling a bit of the information he had read. "Why would I try to attempt it?"

 _I wondered the same thing_ , Ed thought. "It's a foolish thing to do. It only leads to years of punishment and struggling."

Maes thought for a moment. "...How do you know all of this, Ed?" he asked, and now it was Edward's turn to freeze.

"I-I just…" he tried to think of something quick. Ed had told Maes of his adventures with Alphonse, but he had never told him about _why_ they were adventuring. "I-I've just read a lot about human transmutation, that's all," he laughed nervously, and Maes nodded, his gaze returning to his father.

"Okay, I promise...I won't attempt the transmutation," the boy said, but he knew, deep down inside, he wasn't going to be able to keep that promise.

 **(A/N): Yeah... worst ending ever. Forgive me. I wrote this while suffering from writer's block, so I don't like this chapter too much. Chapter 4 will be better, I promise.**

 **Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): Before we start this chapter, I just want to apologize for slacking on it. I thought I got rid of my writer's block after chapter 3, but I didn't. Please excuse me if this chapter seems a bit all over the place.**

At school the next day, Maes could hardly focus on the lessons, though his teachers didn't really expect him to. Many teachers, along with his classmates, constantly asked if he was okay, but Maes only nodded.

When the lunch bell rang, Maes slowly trudged to the cafeteria, thinking about what Edward had told him the day before. If Roy _did_ die, would Maes really be able to refrain from trying to resurrect him? The consequences couldn't be _that_ bad, could they?

Maes was snapped out of his thoughts when a lunch tray full of food slammed down on the table he was sitting at.

"Hi, Maes!" a young girl said, smiling a toothy grin at him. The girl had dark skin, white hair and red eyes, which obviously distinguished her as an Ishvalan.

"Hi, Lynx," Maes replied, giving her a small smile. Lynx Harvard had just moved to Amestris from Ishval with her parents and younger brother a month ago, and she was never told that Maes was the son of the most important man in the country.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting across from him. Maes shrugged, not really knowing how to respond.

"Did you hear that the Führer was shot?" she asked a bit too loudly, causing many heads to turn toward the two, and the black-haired boy stiffened.

He blinked a few times. "Y-yeah, I heard about that. I guess it put him in a coma," he said, trying to seem nonchalant about it.

"Wow, really? That must be hard for his family," the girl said. "But...my dad said he deserves it, because he helped to destroy Ishval."

Anger boiled up inside of Maes, and his fingers twitched. How dare she say such a thing.

"The Führer also helped to _restore_ Ishval," Maes reminded her through gritted teeth.

"I guess," Lynx shrugged, biting into an apple. Before Maes was able to say anything else, Kasey sat down next to him, handing him a small brown bag.

"You forgot this."

Maes grabbed the bag, murmuring a small, "Thanks," though he wasn't planning to eat lunch.

Kasey stared at him for a few moments. "... Are you okay?" she asked. "You haven't really been eating since Dad was shot."

Lynx's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Your dad was shot?! Then...that means...you're the Führer's kids!"

Kasey looked perplexed. How did this girl not know that they were the children of the Führer? "Yeah..." the blonde said, nodding slowly. "That's us."

The Ishvalan turned toward Maes. "Why didn't you tell me that?!" she groaned. "And I said all those bad things about your dad! I'm so sorry, Maes! I didn't know!"

"Wait, you never told her who you were?" Kasey asked her older brother, then turned to Lynx. "And you never caught on? The last name didn't give anything away?"

"I...never really put two and two together..." she said.

"It's not a big deal," Maes shrugged, standing and walking away from his sister and friend.

* * *

As Maes and Kasey stepped into the courtyard of the school, they heard a voice calling Maes' name, and they turned to see Lynx waving at them.

"Maes, Kasey, come here! I want you to meet someone!" she said. The two Mustang kids looked at each other and shrugged before making their way over to her and the man standing behind her.

"This is my dad," she said once they reached her. "Dad, these are my friends. Meet Maes and Kasey. Their dad is the Führer, isn't that cool?"

The Ishvalan man seemed taken aback. He was silent for a few moments, before extending his hand out to the two. "Nice to meet you. My name is Jakob Harvard."

Maes noticed something off about the man. He wasn't acting how most people did when they met the Führer or his children-he was nervous, as if he were afraid of something. The boy shook off the feeling and shook Jakob's hand. "Nice to meet you, too, sir," he said, smiling a smile that greatly resembled his father's.

"Can they come over, Dad? _Please_?" Lynx begged, staring at her father with puppy dog eyes.

"I think they need to be with their family right now, Lynx. Maybe some other time," Jakob told her, and the girl pouted.

"Yeah," Maes started, scratching the back of his head. "We should probably get home. I'm sure our mom needs our help with something."

"Okay, _fine_ ," Lynx said. "I'll see you at school tomorrow!" she smiled, waving at the two siblings as they walked away.

Maes and Kasey waved back at her as they got into a car, and Maes noticed that Jakob frowned after the whole exchange, then ushered Lynx into his car.

"Your mother and your brothers are visiting the Führer in the hospital, so I'll be taking you there to meet up with them," the butler said from the front seat of the car.

Kasey nodded. "Can I see him, too?" she asked. "I haven't visited him yet."

"You haven't?" Maes asked, surprised.

"No, Maes," she glared at him. "Not everyone was able to stay in the hospital with him for 6 days straight."

Maes averted his eyes guiltily, and the butler spoke up. "We'll see what your mother says about visiting him."

"Do you...do you think he's awake?" Maes asked tentatively, biting his lip. The butler's face saddened and he faced forward.

"I wouldn't count on it, sir," he whispered, just loud enough for the two children to hear.

Maes stared at his hands, which were folded in his lap, and he sighed. Would his father _ever_ wake up from his coma? If he didn't, his whole family-the whole country-would be devastated, and Maes knew he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Ed if it happened.

Oh, how he wished it were all a dream...

* * *

Maes was afraid to move. If he did, he would wake Hayden, who had his head rested on his older brother's lap. Maes had forced Hayden awake before, and it didn't end well.

They had been at the hospital for nearly two hours, and all of the children had been told to keep themselves occupied for a few minutes while Riza visited Roy alone.

Maes could hear his mother in the room. She was speaking softly, so he couldn't hear the exact words she spoke, but he did hear his name a few times.

Why did all of this have to happen? Who would be cruel enough to tear a father away from his family, and a ruler away from his country?

Maes could hear his mother crying now. They could all hear it. She was sobbing more than she would at night, and the two older Mustang children exchanged worried glances. How were they supposed to power through if their own mother was breaking down as well?

 **(A/N): Wow, what a crappy ending. Like I said, I still have writer's block, so this chapter didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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